Originally Posted by
swingaling
This isn't unique to CX. AY treats me better than AA, even on cheapo intra-Europe Y fares. They always personally greet me and offer me a free newspaper; basically the same treatment they give their own Platinum members.
What you're seeing here is a whole lot of sour grapes from hub captives who know that MPC is a stingy program and dislike that other programs (AA, BA) have sweet spots that can be exploited. Let's not forget that MPC GO/DM can access every single AA lounge in the US for free when traveling here. AA doesn't even grant this benefit to its own elites. Yet, I don't see a bunch of threads on the AA forum looking for restrictions on lounge access to non-AA elites.
Ultimately, I spend at least as much with CX as I do with AA, so why shouldn't I get lounge access? And frankly, it's a pretty cheap price for CX to pay to ensure some level of loyalty from me. I'd wager any lounge access restrictions would hurt CX more than it would help.
As an AA EXP, I 100% agree with you CX is way more consistent than AA, and I pay my own dine way more to CX than to AA.
But things are fundamentally different with CX MPC.
1) It's way easier to attain AA EXP than it does to CX DM (~50% spending difference), so it makes sense to eliminate general access to AA lounges; While AA's "lounges" are wide-spread across a big country, CX's main customers are based out of a single city with 5 lounges - even for a program with status harder to attain, it's reasonable not to eliminate access. When designing loyalty program, you want to be either exclusive (CX, Marriott ambassador), or general (AA/BA, "you are an elite! you are also an elite!") access, but the benefits should follow accordingly (Former comes with more while latter is almost none, see how AA boarding priority has Ruby the same group with some credit card holder);
2) MPC's main problem is that OW benefits basically overlap or provides more than what MPC has to offer itself (lifetime status for instance), which makes getting DM almost pointless if you just want to be greeted/not to be ignored/getting a bottle of water as mentioned above. In contrast, OWE does not get UDU on AA domestic, which is the most valuable benefits most EXP value. Nobody looks for lounges access (especially most of which are awful without real food) restrictions as a result. If AA changes the UDU rule to all OWE prioritized by first come first serve (similar to lounges access), see how many similar posts will appear on AA forum.
Not starting another salty MPC-only lounge/CX leaving OW post as I am no longer with MPC and I certainly don't want CX to place such restrictions or leave OW(F/J-only lounge is welcome if only CX is ok forgoing lounge revenues from partners), but just saying it is what it is at the moment - MPC GO/DM needs better tangible benefits than its OW equivalent, not by reducing OW treatments, but by enhancing its own.